Motion converting mechanism



May 24, 1966 s. H. CREED MOTION CONVERTING MECHANISM Original Filed May 31, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 F'II3 1 Q o a a e a a F 901 v no 0H0 a u :22 q 6 m m 262 T6 69 0 00 (D 0 D o co a 5 0 6| 20 g flag n 0 l6? 7 a 27 6 G \30 Q 176 ,62

Q I z a w '29 128 2 INVENTOR SHERMAN H. CREED ATTORNEY May 24, 1966 s. H. CREED 3,252,592

MOTION CONVERTING MECHANISM Original Filed May 51, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR SHERMAN H. CREED ATTORNEY May 24, 1966 s. H. CREED 3,252,592

MOTION CONVERTING MECHANISM Original Filed May 31, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR SHERMAN H. CREED ATTORNEY United States Patent 3 252 592 MOTION CONViERT ING MECHANISM Sherman H. Creed, San Jose, Calif., assignor to FMC Corporation, San Jose, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Original application May 31, 1962, Ser. No. 198,990. Divided and this application Dec. 16, 1964, Ser. No.

1 Claim. (Cl. 2141) This application is a division of the application of Sherman H. Creed, Serial No. 198,990 filed May 31, 1962.

This invention relates to a fruit preparation machine and more particularly to a motion-converting mechanism adapted for actuating mechanisms of such a machine.

An object of the present invention is to provide an efiicient motion converting mechanism that has general utility and is particularly adapted for controlling the movements of mechanisms of a fruit preparation machine.

Another object is to provide an improved mechanism for converting the rotary motion of a camshaft to reciprocating movement of a fruit carrier.

. Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective looking at the front or feeding side of the machine.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged transverse section taken generally on line 2-2 of FIGURE 1 and particularly showing the portion of the machine intermediate the top and bottom thereof.

FIGURE 3 is a schematic perspective of a motion converting mechanism constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings wherein similar reference numerals are used to denote the same elements throughout the various views shown, the device comprises a rectangular base 100 (FIG. 1) having two upstanding side plates 101 and 102 fixed thereto. The upper portions of the side plates 101 and 102 are tied together by a bracing rod 103, the mid-portion of the front edges of the plates by a bracing rod 104 (FIG. 1), and the midportion of the rear edges of the plates by a similar bracing rod, not shown.

For purposes of convenience in description, the side of the machine wherein the pears are introduced will hereinafter be referred to as the front of the machine, the opposite side accordingly will be referred to as the rear of the machine and the right and left sides, respectively, will be designated from the point of view of a person standing in front of the machine and looking toward the rear.

Referring now to FIGURE 1, the machine generally comprises a plurality of feed cups 106 which are mounted in a line adjacent the front of the machine and are arranged to receive pears stem-end-down from the operator of the machine. In the particular machine shown, there are six of these cups at points equally spaced transversely of the machine. A transfer cup carriage 107 carries a plurality of transfer cups 108 (FIG. 3) each of which is disposed immediately below a feed cup to receive a pear from the cup. The carriage is arranged to move rearwardly in the machine to carry pears in the transfer cups 108 to a stem end trimming station, generally indicated at 109 in FIGURE 2, at which each pear is seated downwardly by a presser member 110 against a gauge stop 111. While the stem end of the pear is held against the gauge 111, the stem end is trimmed by the knife of a stem end trimming unit 112. From the stem end trimming station 109, each pear is further carried rearwardly "ice in the machine by the transfer cup 108 to a station at which the pear is impaled on an impaling tube, peeled by a peeling knife assembly, cored by a coring unit, and cut into halves by a splitting blade assembly 117.

After the pears are impaled by the impaling tubes, the pears are released from the transfer cups 108 and the carriage 107 is returned to the front of the machine to receive a new group of pears. Prior to the coring operation, a clamp carriage, located adjacent the rear of the machine, is moved forward and the clamps thereon grip the pears and hold them during the coring and splitting operations. The impaling tubes are withdrawn as the coring knives enter the pears. After the coring and splitting operations are finished, the clamp carriage moves rearwardly with the split pears. When the clamp carriage reaches its rearmost position, the clamps are opened to permit the pear halves to drop onto a discharge conveyor (FIG. 2).

The various operating units are actuated in timed relation with each other by a plurality of cams mounted on a cam shaft 121 (FIGS. 1 and 2), which extends trans versely of the machine adjacent the front thereof and is rotatably supported between the side plates 101 and 102. The cam shaft 121 is rotated by a motor mounted within the base 100 of the machine and connected to a jack shaft by a chain drive 124. The outer end of the jack shaft projects outwardly of the machine through the right side of the base 100 and is provided with a sprocket which is connected by a drive chain 127 to a sprocket fixed to the right end of the cam shaft 121. As best seen in FIGURE 2 a plurality of cam follower mounting shafts 128,129, 130, 131, 132, 134 and 135 extend parallel to the cam shaft 121 and are rotatably mounted in the side plates 101 and 102 at points circumferentially spaced about the cam shaft 121. The shaft 133 extends from the side plate 101 only to a center plate 138, and a second shaft 133A coaxial therewith extends from the plate 138 to the side plate 102. Each of the shafts 133A and 128 to 135, inclusive, carries a cam follower arm for cooperation with one of the cams on the mm shaft through the motion converting mechanism of the present invention. A short cam follower shaft 136 is rotatably mounted in the left side plate 101 only and carries a cam follower which cooperates with the cam on the cam shaft nearest the side plate 101. A second short shaft is rotatably mounted in the right side plate 102 coaxial with the shaft 136 and carries a cam follower which cooperates with the cam nearest the side plate 102.

Referring now to FIGURES 1 and 3, the transfer cup carriage 107 comprises an elongated bar-like carrier which has an inverted U-shaped bracket 161 fixed to the bottom of the member 160 adjacent the right end thereof. A block 162 is fixed to the outer leg of the bracket 161 and is slidably received within a horizontal track 163a (FIG. 3) provided by a channel 163 fixed to the inner surface of the side plate 102. A similar inverted U- shaped bracket 164 (FIGS. 1 and 2) is fixed to the bottom surface of the member 160 adjacent the left end thereof and a similar block 165 on the bracket 164 is slidably received within a horizontal track provided by a channel 166 fixed to the inner surface of the side plate 101. The horizontal tracks extend from the front to the rear of the side plates 101, 102 and thus the carriage 107 is mounted for reciprocatory movement forwardly and rearwardly of the machine.

As best seen in FIGURE 3, a short rod 167, which is fixed to the bracket 161, projects through a suitable slot 168 formed in the side plate 102 and is received within bifurcated end 169 of an actuating arm 170 that is fixed to the actuating cam follower shaft 135.' Similar mechanism connects the opposite end of the carriage 107 to the opposite end of the shaft 135 as seen in FIGURE Patented May 24, 1966 1. A cam follower arm 171 (FIG. 3) is mounted at one of its ends on the-shaft 135. The other end of the arm 171 is pivotally attached by a pin 172 to a cam follower link 173 which has a bifurcated end 174 in sliding engagement with a square guide block 175 rotatably mounted on the cam shaft 121 adjacent a transfer cup carriage actuating earn 176 keyed to the cam shaft'121. A earn groove, indicated by the dot-dash center line 177, is formed in the side surface of the cam 176 and receives a cam follower roller 178 rotatably mounted on the link 173 intermediate its ends.

During operation of the machine, when the camshaft 121 is driven, .the .cam 176 rotates with the shaft but the guide block 175 rotates relative to the shaft. As the cam 176 rotates,-tlie roller 178 is moved successively toward and away from the camshaft due to the engagemerit of the roller in the cam groove 177. This movement of the roller 178 causes oscillation of lever 171 and corresponding oscillation of the shaft 135 and the lever 170. As the lever 170 is swung counterclockwise about the axis of shaft 135, the carriage 107 and the transfer cups 108 are moved toward the left (FIG. 3) and, when the lever is swung clockwise, the carriage and cups are moved toward the right. -It will be particularly noted that the slidable engagement of the guide block 175 and the yoke 174 maintains the alignment of the shaft 121, the roller 178, and the pin 172 so that the lever 171 will always oscillate through a fixed arc. Accordingly, the

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and for which the protectionof Letters Patent is desired is:

In a fruit preparation machine, a support structure, a carrier mounted for horizontal reciprocating movement in said structure, a cam shaft rotatablymounted in said structure, a cam secured to said shaft for rotation therewith, a stabilizing guide block rotatable on said shaft alongside said cam, an oscillating linkage mounted in said structure and having a first and second lever, said first lever being connected to said carrier to reciprocate said carrier in response to oscillation of said linkage, said second lever having a forked outer end defining an openi ended slot lying in a plan parallel to said cam, a pivot pin secured to said second lever and extending through said slot, a yoke-having one end projecting into said slot and pivotally received on said pivot pin, said yoke having spaced arms slidably engaged with said stabilizing block on opposite sides of said? camshaft, said arms being connected together adjacent said one end and being open at the other end, and a cam follower carried by said References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,402,597 1/ 1922 Grayell 74-55 2,431,310 11/1947 Coons 146-51 FOREIGN PATENTS 912,778 7/ 1946 France.

MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner. 

